Dan Dan chicken is a brilliant meal that always goes down a storm with my family whenever I make it. This recipe has been developed from the traditional Chinese Sichuan recipe for Dan Dan noodles which is normally made with a spicy chilli and pepper sauce that’s filled with preserved vegetables surrounding minced pork and spring onions which is served over noodles. I’m not a big fan of minced pork in noodle or rice dishes though, so I just made mine with chunks of chicken breast instead.

I think it’s the Dan Dan sauce itself which is the star of the show here because it coats the chicken and vegetables in a spicy aromatic glaze which just seems to enhance the flavours of the whole meal. Although I make my Dan Dan with chicken, it goes really well with a selection of low FODMAP vegetables, so it’d be really easy to leave the chicken out and make a vegetarian version of this, if you like. I also like to serve mine with rice, but feel free to go down the low FODMAP noodle route, if you prefer.

If you fancy a meal that’s filling, substantial and packed full of flavour then this is one to try, guys. The chicken is tender and absorbs the peanut and ginger-scented sauce while the vegetables remain crisp and sweet and provide a brilliant texture contrast to the chicken pieces and crunchy whole peanuts. It’s an excellent dinner for a weeknight when you fancy something a little bit special.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (thinly sliced)

120g carrot strips

180g broccoli heads

130g red bell pepper

100g green bell pepper

1 tbsp sesame oil

300g rice

75g peanuts

20g sesame seeds

20g spring onion tips

Dan Dan Sauce:

40g fresh ginger (minced)

100g smooth peanut butter

1 FODMAP-friendly vegetable stock cube dissolved into 250ml boiling water (or 2 tsps of Casa de Sante’s low FODMAP Vegetable Stock Powder which is my preferred choice because I like the background herbiness it brings to meals. It’s also officially certified as low FODMAP by FODMAP Friendly. If you like, you can buy it online by clicking on the name.)

2 tbsps rice vinegar

2 tbsps soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp golden syrup

1/2 tsp five spice powder

1 tbsp sesame oil

Method:

Make your Dan Dan sauce by blending all of the sauce ingredients together in a Nutribullet or just stir it all together in a bowl.

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large saucepan and once it’s hot add the chicken strips. Cook for 5-10 mins.

Add the carrot strips, sliced bell peppers and dan dan sauce and continue to cook.

Start cooking your rice.

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and once they’re golden brown put them on a plate and leave to one side.

When the vegetables are tender drain the rice and put it onto plates, top with the dan dan chicken, scatter with the toasted sesame seeds and peanuts over the top and serve.

IF YOU LIKE THIS TRY THIS:

CHICKEN KATSU CURRY

PATATAS BRAVAS

CHICKEN KORMA

LAMB DANSAC 

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